Seriously.. this weekend was awesome!! Oh my goodness! Here's the run-down:
Friday, we left the city around 12 after stocking up on snacks at Safeway and washing the grime off the car at the do it yourself wash on Potrero. Made it to Davis around 1:30 to have lunch at Guadalejara (yuuuummmmy taqueria in Davis) with Eric Lobo and his girlfriend. It was great to see him, he is currently working up in Newport, Oregon, studying salmon stuff. Hung around for a bit then back in the car up to Tahoe. We arrived first at Fallen Leaf campground, so Trent took the extra time to get in a practice open water swim at Fallen Leaf Lake, while I chatted up a nice family on the beach. Then we got back to camp, met up and set up our tents, then headed off to dinner and to meet the rest of my team. Everyone was really nice, outdoorsy/sciencey folk. A few Davis alums, one Canadian, and lots of good folks. We chatted up during dinner and figured out the schedule for the race and then back to camp and off to bed.. after I chatted up the same family again at the campground (they were awesome) and found a frog to play with.
Up super early and into the cars. We met up with the folks who didn't camp at the race start and saw our first runner, Dave, off as the gun sounded. Then we all went to get breakfast and coffee. However, Dave was crazy fast on a relatively easy leg, so we didn't have his next runner there at the hand off!! So bad! But Erin was a great sport and jumped out of the car and started running right away so there was no harm done. Her leg was the shortest but had a wicked last two miles of steeeeeeeeep climbing. She was the ultimate trooper at the end, nothing could stop her! Paul ran next, a beautiful 10 miles around the lake and into Incline Village. He had to contend with some wicked road construction and off road obstacles though. Trent and us in car two were sure to not miss another handoff and had John ready and waiting at the transition. John's portion was the longest, with a fairly good climb in the middle. He was blazing along for the first 2/3rds, we could hardly keep up with him to supply water and take pics, but the altitude and heat caught up with him at the end. He got it done though and was quite the trooper. Madeline had leg 5, starting with a big climb but then cruising through Tahoe City and down to meet me at Homewood Ski Resort. After all this cheering and waiting around, I was dying to get going. Trent did an awesome job of keeping me out of the sun and well hydrated so I was ready to boogie when she showed up. We'd driven the course just beforehand, so I knew what was ahead. The first 3 miles were pretty rolling hills, but my legs felt great and I was ready to get going. The middle 4 were nice and flat and along the lake. I passed about 4 racers here and felt very strong. Having my team there every two miles with gatorade and cheers was the best! The last 3 miles were a fairly wicked long climb. I started really strong, knowing I would see my team at mile 9, and would be almost done. Luckily Trent joined me at that stage and kept me motivated to finish strong, and even pass one more dude!! I was thrilled to finish and so excited it went well, no cramps or real trouble with the altitude. I handed off to Kerry, our race capitan, who got to bring it on home to South Lake. We met up at the end and took pictures and high fives. Great job "Twenty-Somethings!!"
Trent and I dashed back to camp and gathered our gear, then headed up to Tahoe City to meet up with friend Steve at his parent's cabin. He met us in the driveway with cold beers.. what a champ. Our friend in common, Cece, was also along for the weekend, and the entire time was just wonderful. After a quick shower, we all headed out on their boat and drank Chardonnay as the sun set and moon rose. Then we jetted over to the Hyatt Hotel in Incline Village, tied the boat to the dock and had a wonderful dinner of many appetizers, while watching drunken wedding guests dance about. I was starting to fade fast, so we headed back to his cabin. The moon was SO bright, the lake was perfectly calm, we were roaring across in the boat listening to Dave Matthews.. it was sublime. After a quick stop at Safeway to get breakfast goodies, we headed home and I crashed.
Sunday, we slept in a bit and Steve's dad made wonderful lattes we enjoyed on their deck. With his dad, we headed back to the boat and cruised around, enjoying the nice weather. We stopped in a little cove on the eastern shore and lounged about reading books and eating cheezits.. Heaven! Finally we had to cool off and took turns plunging in to the freezing lake. Props to Cece for the most dramatic screams! Steve and Trent donned wetsuits to try out tri swimming in the lake, but soon opted for wakeboarding instead. Steve showed off his mad skills before we headed back to the house. We decided we needed to get home, Cece had an early morning of work, so Trent, Cece and I headed back around 3, after getting sandwiches. Fairly easy drive with lots of UCD crew gossip, and we even found a parking spot. Some grocery shopping, laundry, mac and cheese and we were spent.
Today, I am meeting up with awesome amiga Jill for lunch and some wandering through China Town. Hopefully we can all meet up for dinner tonight?? I am still glowing from this wonderful weekend!!
